What could the world’s telcos know that their consumer base doesn’t, that would make many set data plans at such a horribly expensive levels.
When midnight 2000 rolled around, the biggest issue that was caused was that everyone picked up their phone to “test” whether the network was still working. Maybe telcos are protecting their 3G networks from certain meltdown, by making data so expensive that people will not be tempted to all test at the same time. A lame excuse, but possibly someone’s fiendish mitigation plan.
More likely is a total misunderstanding of who their market is and what they want the iPhone for.
Do the telcos believe that the average 3g iPhone purchaser is someone who does not use data services, or if they do, use such minuscule amounts that a large plan is not required. Australian telcos (direct conversation with a a Telstra representative gave me that chectnut) are using that rhetoric when explaining away the lack of chunky data.
But look what studies of iPhone usage in the USA actually say.
iSuppli study clearly shows that iPhone users, use the data capabilities way and above what other internet capable phone users do.
So maybe the telcos DO know their market and are out to gouge them as hard as possible. After all this is the first iPhone in many countries and so the early adopters have NOTHING similar yet. While bloggers in the USA are saying this might be the iPhone model they will skip, their international friends could not contemplate such a move…..but at this stage I just might!
Well for a few months anyway….
Planned and executed my exit from the corporate world. Walked away with a 6 figure payment to boot.
Great chart Allison!
I was looking for one earlier this morning without success.
I think telcos in Australia are still trying to recover the huge fees they had to pay to the government to ‘own’ parts of the radio spectrum.
They also appear to be following the QWERTY approach of certain usage more difficult to discourage usage – keeping their own costs down.